


Nallon Ai Dortha Vi Dùath

by RaunTheWanderer



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dragons, Erebor, Everyone Loves the main character, F/M, Identity Reveal, Multi, One-Sided Relationship, Plot-twists, Wizards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-30
Updated: 2014-03-05
Packaged: 2018-01-10 13:45:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1160394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaunTheWanderer/pseuds/RaunTheWanderer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if every issue that ever existed in the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings all centered around one person? Raun is a woman in whom all the problems of the dwarves take root. Azog wanting to end the line of Durin, Smaug terrorizing Erebor, even the Elves refusing to help them....all of it ties into Raun's dark and mysterious past, and she's looking to make things right. So, she joins in the dwarves to reclaim Erebor, capturing the hearts of many on her way. But as she does so, the ghosts of her past come back haunt her...</p><p>REWRITTEN/REDONE. It's suuuper important that you reread from the beginning if you're a returning reader, because I've switched a few things up!<br/> </p><p>I've decided to continue this story thanks to the lovely users drgngrl68 and anjyana!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rin (Rememberance)

**Author's Note:**

> I know things seem confusing right now, but once I get more chapters out, it'll make A LOT more sense.
> 
> This chapter's pretty short, sorry about that!
> 
> Sindarin-English Translations.  
> Nallon Ai Dortha Vi Dùath-I mourn for those who dwell in darkness  
> Raun-Moon/The Wanderer  
> Vinde-Pale Blue

_"Aughh!" A blood-curdling scream echoed through the night. Under the light of a full moon, a sharp blade carved runes into the fair skin of a young elf maid._

_"Hush now, Raun." A large palm descended upon her mouth, muffling her cries. The runes upon her back emitted an eerie crimson light. Rather than blood, whispers of darkness and corruption spilled from her wounds. "There, it's finished." A dark figure leaned down to kiss the base of her neck, clearly pleased with it's work._ _"Listen to me. The darkness is not something to fear, meleth nin… it's beautiful, alluring... like you.."_

_"Meleth nin.." She turned to meet the eyes of her lover. The same hand that had been violently carving runes into her back just moments ago moved caressed her cheek, drawing her into a gentle kiss. Pulling away, he smiled._

_"You just have to accept it. Accept me. Do you, meleth?"_

_"Yes... Mairon*.." A malicious smile spread across the elf's face._

_"Good. Now... sing."_

Raun woke with a jolt, beads of cold sweat slid down her face. Her heart beat like the thundering of drums. _'What is this.. to dream of him now, after so long..."'_

"Are ye' okay, okay, lass?... You were muttering in your sleep." In front of her was darkness, and suddenly, she remembered where she was. The hushed voice at her ear calmed her trembling form. "...in black speech." Raun could feel Dwalin's arms tighten around her, and now, he was the one trembling. That is, out of rage and worry combined. Chuckling, the elf raised her head from it's position against his chest. 

"It was simply a bad memory coming back to haunt me. Think nothing of it." As she looked into his eyes, she smiled and lifted a hand to caress his cheek. While her words did manage to calm the large dwarf, a grimace remained on his face. With a sigh, her smile dropped just the smallest bit. "You could let me down, now. I can walk from here." He loosened his grip on her, bending his knees slightly to bring her all the way to the ground. She stretched her arms and legs, sore from being in a curled up position for many hours. Raun turned to face her traveling companion, only to see a skeptical look on his face. "Hey now, what's that look for? ...Come here." She reached up to cup his face in her hands, bringing it down to touch her forehead to his. "Look... look at me. Stop your worrying. He is gone. He cannot hurt me now."

"I know, but..."

"But nothing! Come on, we have to get there by nightfall!" And with those words, she broke into a run down the hill they stood on. Dwalin simply watched as Raun scampered down the hill. His eyes fluttered closed as he released a breath. A calloused hand moved to touch his forehead, savoring the warmth that was left there not moments ago.

 

 

"Finally, the town! Now, it’s just a matter of finding the marked door!” Raun said happily, turning to look up at Dwalin. And then, a thought struck her. "Oi, Dwalin."

"Hm?"

"Why are you taller than me?"

"...Where did that come from?" The two continued down the path through Hobbiton as they spoke. 

"Well, I'm part elf, right? So I should be taller than you, isn't that right?"

"You're still part dwarf. Perhaps it evens out."

"Wot? No! If it evened out than I'd be the size of-"

"-We're here, Raun."

"Oh!" Knocked out of her little rant, Raun looked around. "So we are!" She knocked on the door, to be greeted by a tiny little hobbit. _'Oh my, how cute!’_ The hobbit looked at them with a confused expression on his face.

"Dwalin-"

"And Raun-"

"-At your service!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raun- Moon/The Wanderer  
> Meleth Nin/Meleth- My love
> 
> *Mairon- You don't neccesarily need to know who he is at this point, but if you know who he is, it does have quite a bit of impact later on.
> 
> This is the first of the rewritten/redone chapters, so comments are completely welcome! Please, I'd love to hear your feedback!


	2. Naugrim(Dwarves)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dwarves reunite at the home of the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins.

"And Bilbo Baggins, at yours." The hobbit shifted uncomfortably, moving to tie the sash of his brightly colored robe. "Uh... do we know each other?" Dwalin shot the hobbit a strange look before pushing past him, dragging Raun along by her arm.

"No." He said with a slightly harsh tone. "Which way laddie, is it down here?"

"I-is what down where?"

 

 

 

"Supper, he said there'd be food."

"He said? Who said?" But before he knew it, the dwarf and his companion had already disappeared into his dining room. By the time he arrived in the dining room, Dwalin was already munching away at his dinner. Raun was simply smiling idly, humming a random tune. For a while, the room was only filled with the sound of Raun's humming and Dwalin grunting. My, was he a loud eater! Then, for the first time in maybe twenty minutes, Dwalin spoke.

 "Very good this, got anymore?" Dwalin said between bites. Raun watch as Bilbo moved to pick up a plate of rolls, giggling as she watched him snatch a piece for himself. The two met eyes and Bilbo blushed, raising his finger to his lip in a "Shush"-ing manner. Raun did very much adore this hobbit, he was quite charming in a childish sense. Just as she began to raise her voice, the doorbell rang. Looking up, Dwalin spoke. “That’ll be the door.” And off the hobbit went. She puted. She was just about to scold Dwalin for his ill behavior when she heard a familiar voice. A smile broke out across her face as she ran to peek into the doorway.

 “Dwalin, look! It’s Baa..” her voice faltered as she saw him rummaging through a cookie jar. She let out an exasperated sigh.  “Oh dear Lord…”

“Oh!” She heard Balin exclaim, holding out his arms as he walked towards her. “Raun! I didn’t know you were coming along.” Shrugging, Raun pulled him into a tight hug.

“Neither did I!” Raun laughed. “He's quite possessive of me, you know. Like a doting father, that one is.” As soon as she uttered those words, strong arms enveloped her torso, pulling her away from Balin. “Speak of the devil…”

“Evenin’ brother.” Balin smiled, watching his little brother rest his head a top Raun’s. He didn't fail to notice how tightly Dwalin held the halfing lass.

 “By my beard! You’re shorter and wider than last we met." At this, a smile broke out on the elder dwarf's face.

 “Wider, not shorter. Sharp enough for both of us.” Balin countered, winking at his brother. Letting go of Raun, Dwalin moved to grab his brother’s shoulders. They all began to laugh as the two brothers head butted each other.

“Um, excuse me, sorry, hate to interrupt, but I’m not entirely sure you’re in the right house.” Bilbo said in the background. But neither brother cared to listen as they walked into the pantry, Raun trailing behind them as she shot him an apologetic look. The three chatted amongst themselves, Raun filling mugs with ale as the brothers raided Bilbo's pantry; The said hobbit spoke incoherently in the background, his voice overpowered by the booming voices of the dwarves. And this continued until he uttered the words-

 “-I’m sorry.” All three turned to look, Bilbo clearing his throat awkwardly.

 “Apology accepted” Balin said, turning to Raun. “Oh now fill it up now lass, don’t stint.” Bilbo stared at them, exasperation clear on his face. And to his distress, the doorbell rang yet again. Sighing, Bilbo stomped off to answer the door.

 “I’ll go with you, Mister Bilbo!” Raun exclaimed, moving from between the two dwarves. She began to chat animatedly as she hooked arms with the hobbit and pulled him towards the door. 

 

 

 

“So, nothing has changed, has it?” Balin looked upon his brother in pity. He knew of Dwalin’s feelings for Raun. As did the halfling herself. "You should tell her. Who's to say she doesn't already love you? You're quite close after all."

_It was long, long ago when the two had met. He was a young warrior-in-training and she... well, she was in love. Of course, that couldn't keep him from falling for her. He came to love her- not only for her beauty, but her passion, kindness, and above all, the way she loved. He had stumbled upon them a few times. Never during an intimate moment, however. On these occasions, he watched them speak, watched her smile. Caress his cheek. She was so gentle, so bright... Oh, what he would've gave to have her love him like that. What he had to give- it turns out, was a war. It was after the loss of her lover to the Battle of Moria that Raun and Dwalin formed the bond that they had. The Battle had left both of them torn: Dwalin over the loss of his kin, Raun over the loss of her love. In the aftermath. Raun had acted as a healer for the few who made it out of the battle. When she had stumbled upon him, she could see that he was broken. The light in his eyes had disappeared. It was at this time did she kiss him the first time. On his forehead. The gashes and bruises that painted his form. She had wrapped each wound with care and rather than move onto the next dwarf, she simply held him. At that moment, he felt loved. The love that he craved so much. Of course, it was short lived.  
_

 

 "She doesn't need the burden of an unpleasant dwarf like me. It would an inconvenience to her." Dwalin said, melancholy present in his voice.

 "Don't lie, brother, you just fear that she won't return your feelings."

 "Well fear is inevitable, isn't it?!" Dwalin snapped. He quickly covered his mouth, taking stock of where he was. "Of course she wouldn't love me. She would be better off with a dwarf like Thorin, maybe even one of his nephews. After all, they.." His voice had dropped to a whisper. "I'll have to let go of her someday. I'd rather it be later than sooner. At this point, the lass sees me as nothing more than a brother, a sibling. We will never be. She is still in love with him." Balin set a hand on Dwalin's shoulder, a gentle expression upon his face.

"Dwalin, that's-"

 

 

 

 "-Raun! Is it really you? It's been so long!" An "Eek!" escaped Raun's lips as Kili lifted her off the ground. The two spun in circles, giggling manically. "Oh, I've missed you, Raun!"

"Haha I've missed you too, Kili!" Raun laughed as they continued to spin, that is, until a certain blonde prince cleared his throat. As Kili set her down, she smiled. "Fili." 

"M'lady." The first prince, heir to the throne of Erebor fell on bended and gathered up her hand. He placed his lips upon her knuckles as he looked up at her. Shaking her head, Raun bent to meet his eyes.

"Ever the prince." She leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead. 

"Only the best for my queen." Fili grinned as he rose from the ground. 

"And it seems you've grown to be quite the charmer, too. Be careful, sometimes, such words could lead to trouble."

"Well, one as beautiful as you deserves an appropriate greeting." He said winking. 

"Fili, really... stop this, we've went over this before. I'm beyond your time."

"Age is but a number when it comes to love."

"Fili, you really should stop saying that, I know you don't re-"

"Fili, Kili, Raun, come give us a hand." Dwalin cut of Raun's words, draping an arm across Kili's shoulders, leading him into the dining room.

"Mister Dwalin." Kili smiled at the older dwarf. "Come on, you two!" He called back as he was dragged away. 

"Let's go, laddie, we need to help them." Raun smiled, skipping off to help the three dwarves move things around the dining room to make more space. 

 "But its true..." Fili mumbled as he trudged after her, hitting his head and repeating "Stupid, stupid!" As he moved along. Bilbo just watched, weapons and traveling bags in his arms. as the dwarf disappeared into his dining room, feeling slightly sorry for him. He was starting to be okay with having these dwarves and an incredibly short elf in his house. They weren't that great in number, and Raun seemed nice, so all would be well. Well, he thought it would be, until he heard-

"-Lad, shove this in the hallway, or else we'll never get everyone in.

"E-everyone?! How many more are there?" And of course, the doorbell rang once again. "Oh no, no! There is nobody home! Go away and-" he dumped Fili's weapons an Kili's bag on the floor, stomping towards the door "-bother somebody else! I have too many dwarves in my dining room as it is! If this is some clot-heads idea of a joke, oh, I could only say it is in very poor taste!!" Pulling his door open, he jumped back as nine dwarves literally fell in through the doorway. Behind them, he saw a figure that he recognized from earlier that day. "Gandalf..."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this chapter, please leave comments, kudos, anything. I've just rewritten this chapter, and I'd love your feedback!
> 
> Also, If you have a tumblr, follow me pleaaase! My blog has the same name as my username.


	3. Vanwië (The Past)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little more of Raun's past is revealed in her dreams.

“Those are my pri--! Excuse me not my wine. Put that back. Put that back!” Bilbo’s home was abuzz as the dwarves moved about. He found himself working to defend the food in his pantry, to no avail. He would try to get one thing back, only to turn and see something else being taken. “Not the jam please. Excuse me, excuse me!” He kept repeating the words until he saw Bombur walking by with three wheels of cheese, smiling as he went his merry way. “That’s a tad bit excessive, isn’t it? Have you got a cheese knife?!”

“Cheese knife?” Bofur asked, as if it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. “He eats it by the block.” Bilbo groaned, proceeding to continue his efforts to stop the dwarves’ invasion of his home. Raun watched the man with pity as she drank a mug of ale, with Dwalin by her side.

“Poor thing.” Dwalin looked at her with questioning eyes. “He’s got to deal with all of these guys at once, and at supper time out of all things! He won’t be able to stop them… maybe I’ll go help him!” Raun told herself. But as she made to push off the wall she was leaning on, Dwalin pulled her into a hug.

“Leave him be. You being over there isn’t going to help him much.” With a pout, Raun sighed and leaned back onto Dwalin’s chest.

“Fine.” And she just continued to watch as the scene unfolded before her. “Dwalin, I’m tired. Carry me?” Dwalin nodded, lifting her up into his arms. “You know, Dwalin..” she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck “..you’re a lot more comfy then any bed..” Fili stopped in his endeavors at the sight of Raun wrapped up in Dwalin’s arms. It was a familiar sight to him now, the two of them being intimate to a certain degree. The two were always like that, even when he was a child growing up in Ered Luin. It was something that he had seen hundreds of times, yet a pang of jealousy ran through him every time the two were even near each other. Sighing, he continued on, moving to the pantry to get another barrel of ale. After requesting a cup of red wine from Dori, Gandalf made his way to the area where all the rooms intersected, proceeding to account for all the dwarves.

“Uh, Fili, Kili. Uh… Oin, Gloin. Raun, Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur… Dori, Nori,..Ori!”

“Not my prize winners! No, thank you!” Gandalf chuckled as Ori walked away; disappointed he couldn’t get his hands on some tomatoes. He turned to see Bifur approaching him.

**“Thorin hasn’t arrived yet. We can’t go on our journey without a leader!”** Bifur said in Khuzdul, hitting his forearm.

“Yes, you’re quite right, Bifur.” He said, Bifur walking off to mind his own business.”We seem to be one dwarf short….”

“Don’t worry Gandalf, he’s late is all.” Raun yawned, her consciousness drifting.

“He traveled north for a meeting with our kin, he will come.” Dwalin finished, coaxing Raun to fall asleep. Gandalf shook his head, being one of the few aware of Dwalin’s feelings.

“Mister Gandalf,” Dori nudged his leg, a tiny cup in his hand, “a little glass of red wine, as requested. It’s got a fruity bouquet.”

“Ah, cheers.”

 

 

_“NOOOOOOO!!” Raun gripped her head, tears falling from her eyes. Before her, hundreds of men lay dead, and she knew that their deaths came by her hands._

_“Good job, meleth nin.” Azog approached her from behind, clapping as he walked. “You’re power has increase so much.” She turned to face him, throwing herself into his arms._

_“Azog, I’m scared! I can’t control it anymore!!”_

_“You’ll be fine, Raun.” He assured her, but it was true, and he knew it. Her body held a great deal of dark magic within it, and yet her body had not changed at all, it was not disfigured in any way whatsoever. And that’s why he kept her around, for he knew that she was more powerful than any elf, dwarf, orc, or man that upon walked middle-earth. ‘A light that shines within the darkness is the purer then even the light of a god.’_

_“Azog… I’m tired, carry me?”_

_“Of course, meleth.” And in his arms she drifted off into dream. It was night when she awoke, and all around her was dark. “…she won’t turn against me.” Above the screeching of the bats, and the snoring of the wargs around her, she heard her lover’s voice. “She is utterly and hopelessly in love with me, she would never turn against me.” Raun listened closely, trying to figure out who Azog was speaking to._

_“We can only hope.” It was a voice that she did not recognize, a voice of pure darkness, a voice that, oddly enough, was somewhat comforting to her.”Her power is on par with even my own, if she is to gain complete control of her power, she could burn all the water out of a lake. Really, I don’t understand why you infused a simple elvish girl with such a large amount of magic.”_

_“I did it because I knew that I could control her. Anyways, her heart is incredibly pure. It’s so pure that even in the midst of dark magic as powerful as this, it has not been tainted even the slightest. She’s the ultimate weapon!” Raun’s eyes widened and her heart tightened upon hearing these words, and upon hearing his next words, her heart broke and she ran off into the night, as fast as her legs could possibly carry her._

_“And if she acts out, I’ll just kill her.”_

“AHHHH!!” Raun’s eyes shot open to see Dwalin hovering over her, concern clear on his face. “Dwalin…” she sobbed, sitting up to hug him tightly. “Dwalin, Dwalin…”

“It’s okay lass, I’m here.” He stroked her hair while pressing kisses to her head. “You’re safe..you’re safe, love..”  She buried  her face in his neck, muttering incoherent words as she did . Moving her onto his lap, he held her tightly, rocking slowly to comfort her as one would a crying child.

“Dwalin, Thorin needs to speak to you.” Bofur walked into the empty room that Raun had been resting in. “Oh.. is the lass okay?’

“Yeah, just a nightmare…” Of course, he knew that it wasn’t true. He knew of Raun’s affiliation with the dark ones, but he wouldn’t tell Bofur about that.

“Well, Thorin said that it was important. Let me take care of her.” Bofur smiled.

“I can’t do that, Bofur, she-“

“It’s fine, Dwalin..” Raun pushed on his chest lightly, rubbing the wetness from her eyes. “Go, your king awaits.” He loosened his grip on her as she moved to get off him. She smiled and placed a kiss to his forehead. “Thank you.” And so he left to address whatever business Thorin had with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like the chapter? Please leave a comment or kudos! And also, if you have a tumblr, please follow me! www.raunthewanderer.tumblr.com


	4. Maqua (Hands)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bofur talks to Raun for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh I feel like did a horrible writing this, and nobody really likes it... but for the people who do, thank you and I hope you enjoy!

"It’s been a while, Mister Bofur." Raun smiled up at said dwarf, grabbing his hands and pulling him down to sit beside her. "How have you been?"

"I’ve been well, milady, I- wait… how do you know my name?" Bofur was puzzled. See, Dwalin always kept Raun close to him, always wary of who Raun socialized with. He always made sure to keep her away from her away from dwarvish men, as she was as innocent as she was beautiful, or so he heard. So, she only talked to the woman, with Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Thorin, Kili, and Fili be the only exceptions. And so, he had never talked to the woman. Actually, Dwalin took extra care to keep Raun away from dwarves like Bofur ,of dwarves who had reputations of being womanizers, who were said to have slept with more women then anyone cared to count.

"I know every dwarves’ name." She gave his hands a light squeeze, a sign of affection, and that’s when he realized- She was holding his hands!! He stared at their intertwined hands, heat starting to rise in his cheeks. It was strange to him, for the rumors about were certainly, he had slept with many, many women, so why was his pulse going out of control just from holding hands with this woman? True, she was beautiful, be he had seen maidens far fairer, and much more seductive. “Is something the matter?” Raun followed Bofur’s line of vision to see he was staring at their hands with a frown on his face. “I’m sorry, you don’t want to be holding hands with a mixed-blood.” She began to pull away,but Bofur’s hands shot out to grab hers.

"No!" He realized how desperate he sounded upon looking at Raun’s wide-eyed expression. Blushing, he squeezed her hands. "I mean, no, milady Raun, it’s-"

"Raun is fine."

"Okay..Raun…it’s not that I don’t want to hold your hands because of your blood, it’s just… surely you’ve heard the rumors about me?"

"Yes."

"Yet you still would hold this philanderer’s filthy hands?" Raun’s expression softened into a sweet smile that made his heart flutter. She brought one of his hands to her face.

"I like your hands, Bofur. They’re rough and calloused… you were a miner…" She said, nuzzling his hand.

"Aye.." He replied softly, beginning to stroke her hair.

"Mmm…" She hummed. ‘A miner… like him..’ Her thoughts began to wander as she thought of her dearly departed king.’The king who saved me, the king who protected me, the king driven mad by his greed, the king who died fighting for me…’ Her thoughts were soon broken through by the sound of something well, breaking. Looking up, she saw Dwalin in the doorway, a cup of what seemed to be tea shattered on the floor in front of him, and his face contorted into an angry expression. "Oh, Dwalin! You’re back!" Quickly, Bofur withdrew his hands from her, and made his way out as fast as he could.

"I’m sorry, Raun, I should go- uh, Bombur, food, um, I- I’ll go now." Bofur wanted to stay with Raun for a while longer, but he knew if he didn’t leave soon, he possibly could end up at the bottom of the ocean.

"Let’s talk again sometime!" She called after the dwarf as he scurried out of the room. She looked up at the much taller dwarf who seemed to be fuming. Literally. "Dwalin?"

"What was that??" He yelled. That horrible dwarf had touched his beloved Raun! 

"I was just feeling his hands." She stood and walked over to the dwarf, stopping right in front of him. She reached to his sides to pull his hands into hers. "They’re sort of like yours, but I like your hands better." She smiled brightly. "So? What did Thorin need?" Dwalin’s expression morphed from an angry expression to a grim one, but pulled Raun into a hug before she could see it.

"It was nothing.." His thoughts wandered to the conversation he had just stormed away from not a few moments ago.

"Absolutely not! I won’t let you send her to her death!" Dwalin was enraged. Thorin wanted to send his beloved Raun into the vaults of Erebor to steal the Arkenstone.

"She is our only option now, Dwalin." Thorin answered gruffly.

"Smaug has spent centuries searching for her, he has burned down countless cities in his mad hunt for her. Do you really want to send her in there with the knowledge that she could be killed?! And how are you so sure that she would even be able to find the Arkenstone?"

“Raun knows her way through the vaults much better then any of us. She had walked those halls far longer then we have lived, and has spent her days in the presence of the Arkenstone. Dwalin, you know full well Smaug wouldn’t lay a finger on his precious jewel, and even if he did, she’s not weak. You know this. Honestly, you ought to stop coddling her and let her fend for herself!” Yes. He knew it to be true, but for so long, he had protected her, cared for her. He couldn’t just let her go…

"She isn’t going in there, Thorin, and that’s final." Dwalin stomped off, his mind buzzing. He decided to go to the kitchen and make some tea for Raun, to calm her down from her nightmare.

"Dwalin?" Raun looked up to him, a worried expression splayed across her face. "Is something the matter?"

"No… nothing at all." He lifted her into his arms bridal style and walked over to a plush chair in the hobbit’s reading room. "You should get some sleep lass, we have a long journey ahead of us." He tried to set down onto the chair, but her arms remained around his neck.

"Dwalin, can you sleep with me tonight?" And upon hearing that sentence, he nearly dropped her. "You’re comfy… please?" She plead with her puppy eyes. Dwalin sighed, shifting to hold Raun in one arm and reached for the blanket that had been set down onto the chair. 

"Aye, lass, I’ll sleep with ye’…" The words were strange coming even out of his mouth. Plopping down onto the chair, he spread the blanket out on top of them., and pulled Raun close. "Now close your eyes. If you have another nightmare, I’ll be here…"

"Thank you, Dwalin… Goodnight." She smiled into his chest.

"Goodnight love."


	5. Morwen (Dark Lady)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A piece of Raun's past is revealed. But believe me, this is only the beginning of it all. And I swear, when I get to the other bits of her past, is will be longer and a much better quality of writing...

Dwalin looked down on Raun, holding her small body close to his. She was always so beautiful, even when she was sleeping. He loved how peaceful she looked, for even though she was always in a seemingly positive mood when she was awake, she was never truly at peace. Dwalin knew she was troubled, no matter how much she denied it. And how could she be at peace, with the darkness of her past eating at her? He still remembered the tale she had told him many years ago...

 

_"I was born.. very, very long ago, in the first age. Yes, I am quite old, for I I was born in Lothengriel, though in the common tongue it is known as Gondolin. Though I was a woman, I was a member of the House of the King, and as I was favored by King Turgon, I was made the general of the first battalion. I was even able to take up apprenticeships in other houses!_

_Ah, yes, all this might not make much sense to you. You see, in Gondolin, the are twelve "houses" that all the male elves are assigned to, and the females, well, they didn't do much in those days. These houses each had different roles. The House of the Harp, for example. The elves of that house were what you would think, musicians. But now I'm getting off track. I was allowed to be one of the Kings generals because I'm special._

_See, my mother was an elf, and my father a dwarf. As I'm sure you know, the two races don't exactly get along, as a matter of fact, they detest each other! In the olden days, the hate wasn't quite as strong, but it was there. So, for an elvish maid and a dwarf to fall in love, their feelings must've have been strong and true. And that it was. Their love was pure. It was not lust, nor physical attraction, nor was it for rank or wealth that brought my parents together. It was a connection so strong and pure, that not even the Valar could divide them. As a result of the bond, I was born. An elvish maid with a pure soul, and a noble heart, a light in the darkness of those days, very much like the moon I am named for. That was why Turgon chose me. Because he was sure that I would remain loyal and true. Sadly, that was where his mistake lay._

_In the House of the hammer of wrath, I met Vinde. He was a skilled blacksmith, and the swords he forged could not be beaten by no smith among man nor dwarf. He was my master, so naturally we spent very much time together. My feeling for him were inevitable. I was young and naive back then, I simply assumed he loved me.... but of course, that wasn't the case. He was a minion of Morgoth, very much like Maeglin if you've looked into elvish history. But Vinde did not bring down Gondolin. No, he did something much worse... a cunning elf he was, always thinking of the best ways to do things. Once he heard of me, he wanted me for the same reason that Turgon did. I was pure, loyal, innocent... Vinde believed that if he could infuse me with dark magic and control me, he would have the strongest weapon in all of middle earth, for as he had said, 'the light shines brightest in the dark.' And with his false love, he lured me out of Gondolin, away from my home , and he tainted me._

_What upsets me greatly is that for the longest time, I was actually content with it. I thought he loved me. I believed that... that he would do everything for my sake, to keep me safe and happy. I believed that although he indulged in dark magic, his love for me was true. In reality, I was just a weapon of mass destruction. I was even called Morwen, which is Sindarin for Dark Lady. It is name I fully deserve. I have taken more lives then you could ever imagine, there are scars on my body that would make even you wince, I've cried enough tears to fill the oceans of this earth and beyond. All because of him. And one night, one night that I will always be grateful for as long as I live... I heard him say he would kill me should I betray him. That was when I finally came to my senses and ran._

_But at that point, I had nowhere to run to. Gondolin had fallen, and I was out, alone, being hunted down by orcs and wargs and wraiths... and I was caught, and as a matter of fact was nearly killed. I was fortunate that day, for the Valar had been merciful and took pity on my soul. They drained the darkness that plagued my soul, but left some behind... for me to do magic. It was at that time I met Gandalf, who trained me to control this darkness. Together we traveled through quite a bit of middle earth, all while fleeing orcs and wargs and even wraiths. A while ago, we were nearly caught, and that was when I arrived in Erebor. For almost 200 years, I was under Thror's protection, until he died...."_  

 

"Mmmm...Dwalin?" Raun stirred in said dwarf's lap, and cracked her eyes open.

"Why are you still awake? It's late.."

"I know, I know, I'm just not very tired.." Of course she new better. She knew that he had not slept for many days and nights...

"Don't lie to me, lad, you hadn't a wink of sleep in days, now.." She stretched slightly to kiss his cheek. Smiling, she nuzzled her face into the bend of his neck and smiled. "Now get some sleep.."


End file.
